Two presidential hopefuls topping the Republican field, Donald Trump and Ben Carson, announced Thursday in a joint letter to CNBC they will not be participating in the third GOP debate if it is exceeds two hours and excludes opening and closing statements.

The outsider duo, first and second in the Washington Examinerpower rankings, cited concerns that the second debate’s three-hour length was too long and said personal statements serve to ensure each candidate has a chance to be heard.

Spencer Irvine

Spencer Irvine graduated from Brigham Young University in International Relations and currently works as a staff writer for Accuracy in Media.